advice on purchasing a vintage 1803

[surrey]

I have found a clean orginial 1803 that i am considering purchasing from circa 68 (gold president with leather strap) does anyone have any insights they could share on this - the strap on this particular model is not a rolex one and there is no rolex gold clasp - did it originally come with ? there is no provenance eg paperwork,box etc probably due to age etc - the dealer is highly reputable so the watch is original - Any advice and guidance of a price being asked of $4500 is that fair ? I believe so. You may have seen my other thread about Rolex shipping leather straps with one section being too short (total length correct) this causes the clasps to appear at the side of your wrist not underneath - I am concerned that if I buy this watch I may get this issue if Rolex have no recalled the incorrect designs ! Id value any inputs from the experts out there please on this watch thank you

[Kingair]

I bought mine Day Date also without papers but from a know seller who deals in Rolex watches.
For me it doesn't really matters (on this watch anyway) that the box and papers are not included.
A box you can buy and Rolex can get you a confirmation on your watch.
But that's not imported for me as mentioned on this DD.
If I was going for a Red Sub (1969 - birthday) I would definitely buy it with all included.
For that particular model.
Anyway I am wearing my watch and I am not running around with the box and papers ;-)
Currently I have it also on a leather strap but not for long.
I am going to buy a President soon.
And looking for a nice croc brown or black strap - any advice out there ?
Price seems ok.
There are about 880 Day Dates for sale on Ebay and also have a look here on the forum.
They can help you without doubt.

If you are going to a RSC just take of the strap.
Takes 2 minutes with the right tooling.

Looking to see your pics

[padi56]

Originally Posted by surrey

I have found a clean orginial 1803 that i am considering purchasing from circa 68 (gold president with leather strap) does anyone have any insights they could share on this - the strap on this particular model is not a rolex one and there is no rolex gold clasp - did it originally come with ? there is no provenance eg paperwork,box etc probably due to age etc - the dealer is highly reputable so the watch is original - Any advice and guidance of a price being asked of $4500 is that fair ? I believe so. You may have seen my other thread about Rolex shipping leather straps with one section being too short (total length correct) this causes the clasps to appear at the side of your wrist not underneath - I am concerned that if I buy this watch I may get this issue if Rolex have no recalled the incorrect designs ! Id value any inputs from the experts out there please on this watch thank you

It would have come on a gold bracelet if the watch head is 14ct bracelet would have been 14ct stamped 585,but many were all 18ct too 750.

[mdw3]

Originally Posted by padi56

It would have come on a gold bracelet if the watch head is 14ct bracelet would have been 14ct stamped 585,but many were all 18ct too 750.

There were never any 14K 1803 Day-Dates produced. Every last one of them was 18K.

Michael

[Michael M.]

When it comes to older Day Dates, on the cases always check for dings or major nick/scratches. Also, some older day dates were polished often, thus making the case/lugs very thin, which is not ideal, stay away from these. Check also for the original gold spring bars, as this doesnt add to the value, but is a nice original touch. Besides the case, obviously check the dial for any major imperfections, etc. As for the price, $4,500, assuming that its all legit, nice case, dial, etc., it's a okay price.

[surrey]

Thanks everyone for your replies - Can i clarify 1 thing so on a Gold day date 1968 it would defintely have been 18ct only and stamped 750 on the case ? Given it currently is on a leather strap is the best guess that it has always been on a leather one or were they sold as originally all on gold bracelets ? That would be useful to understand Thank you all again

[surrey]

sorry also to clarify the watch in question is stamped 18k - does that help re the question on the original strap? tks

[Kingair]

President straps enough for sale.
Last week 3 on Ebay
Cheapest $ 3500

[jjmcd]

Although Rolex currently only sells Day-Dates on bracelets (President or Oyster), the ref. 1803 Day-Dates were definitely sold new on leather straps - I saw a Rolex magazine ad from the 1960s showing Day-Dates on both President bracelet and leather strap, with different pricing for each option. The strap option is why the part of the case between the lugs has a beveled edge rather than a flat edge to meet the end piece on a bracelet.

Your watch could have come on a bracelet that has since been replaced with the strap either because the bracelet got stretched to the point of being unwearable (not unusual given the soft gold material there were constructed out of) or to tone down the "bling factor". The 18k stamp on the head indicates that the case is made of 18kt gold, as are all Day-Dates. To my knowledge, there is no way to know from the markings on the head to tell whether a Day-Date originally came on a bracelet or strap.

I wouldn't worry about the strap/buckle - they're cheap and you can toss the existing strap/buckle if they're not correct. Here is a correct strap/buckle combination for a Day-Date for $35:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rolex-20mm-B...item4cfee22d4c

The strap should be 20mm wide on the lug ends and 16mm wide on the buckle end. The correct buckle is one with the Rolex crown, like the one in the ebay auction above, which come either in gold plate (which are marked "plaque") and cost ~$30-40 -- or in solid 18kt gold and cost ~$100. Here is an auction for a solid gold buckle: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ROLE...item4ab4858933

It would be very unusual for a leather strap to survive for 40+ years and the Rolex buckles are an unusual size (16mm, rather than the 18mm that is typical of buckles on straps that are 20mm on the lug end). As a result, even if your Day-Date originally came with a strap, it has probably since been lost and replaced with a generic 20/18 strap/buckle.

Box and papers would be extremely unusual on a Rolex of the age of a ref. 1803 Day-Date (the most recent of which is around 1981) and their absence shouldn't be treated as an indication of genuineness, like they might for a modern Rolex.

Prices from dealers are always higher than from individuals, but $4,500 is still high (at least in the US) for yellow gold ref. 1803 Day-Date either head only or on a leather strap - it should be closer to $3,000. Add ~$1,500 for a yellow gold ref. 1803 Day-Date on a Rolex President bracelet. White gold ref. 1803 Day-Dates are much rarer and $3-4k more expensive than a comparable yellow gold ref. 1803 Day-Date.

If you want a Day-Date on a President bracelet (rather than a strap), I would strongly advise you to find one for sale already on a President bracelet, as you will pay more for a genuine Rolex President bracelet by itself than the differential in pricing between a Day-Date with and without the President bracelet.

[polarinda]

3k for a 18k dd?

[omitohud]

Originally Posted by polarinda

3k for a 18k dd?

Tell me when n where please.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dysondiver]

3k sterling ,,, thats nearer to 5k dollars

[Old Expat Beast]

Three year old thread/prices.

[nerd]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Three year old thread/prices.

Always entertaining how ancient threads come alive and generate controversy!

[Willygallardo]

lol 3 years ago at least we know they go up in prices